In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the narrator tells the story of Emily Grierson, a woman who lived an incredibly long and which was known to everyone throughout the city. The story also tells the reader that Emily's mental deterioration over time was neither known nor acknowledged by the townspeople. Mental illness, especially in the South, was masked by eccentricities and a tolerant attitude toward those who were socially considered upper class (Phelan 188). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first part of this short story describes Mrs. Emily Grierson as a popular woman in the town, mainly because she had been there for so long. “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men felt a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mainly out of curiosity to see the interior of her house, which no one had seen except an old man-servant-had seen within the last ten years” (Faulkner 299). In history, she was exempt from taxes by Colonel Sartoris after the death of her father in 1894. However, there was no written record of this and the new generation of elected officials tried to send her a notification indicating that his taxes were due. The first sign we see of her mental illness comes when the town authorities arrive to collect her taxes, and she repeatedly states that they need to see Colonel Sartoris, who by this time had been dead for nearly a decade. For Emily, the passage of time does not seem to matter at all, as she has spent many years of her life hidden in her house. The second part takes place approximately two years after the death of Emily's father, and shortly after her birth. abandoned by her would be her husband. At this point in the story, we see a further deterioration in Emily's mental state, as she is rarely seen outside of her home. “After her father’s death, she went out very little; after her beloved left, people hardly saw her anymore” (Faulkner 301). Over time, a horrible smell begins to emanate from Emily's house. Many citizens are complaining about it. Finally, Judge Stevens says he refuses to accuse a lady of smelling bad, so four men sneak into Emily's property at night and sprinkle lime around the house to prevent that foul smell. The reader later discovers that Emily had pretended everything was normal, as if her father hadn't been dead for three days before she finally allowed the body to be disposed of. The reader then realizes that if the smell did not come from his father, where could it come from? No one in town thought she suffered from serious mental health issues; They thought it was her father who had pushed many men away from her and seemed overprotective. “We remembered all the men her father had driven away, and we knew that, having nothing left, she would cling to what had stolen her, as people do” (Faulkner 302). During the third part of the story, Emily was ill for a long time and reappears with short hair giving her a tragic and serene look (Faulkner 302). The city had hired contractors to repair the sidewalks. Homer Barron, the company's foreman, quickly became a popular man in town because he seemed to make everyone laugh. Shortly after arriving in town, he was seen riding around with Miss Emily in a buggy. Everyone in town seemed happy that she had finally found someone.